Prepared on the Day

• Conduct a waste audit and use data to identify opportunities for savings, review and revisit this data on an anniversary date
• Chat with staff about types of food waste that can be avoided
• Modify or remove dishes with lower sales than others to ensure your menu does not offer too many or too broadly focused options
• Consider several small batches rather than one or two large batches
• Challenge yourself or your staff to incorporate un-used parts of ingredients in existing meals
• Use the same ingredients in more than one menu item resulting in the use of fewer ingredients overall
• Use local ingredients where possible  – local means seasonal, less miles for food to travel and less opportunity for damage or spoiling
• Replace fresh with frozen or dried ingredients to minimise spoilage during transportation or storage
• Monitor any ingredients approaching use by and best before dates as an opportunity for a special or a ‘dish of the day’

• Document stock and create an ordering routine – consider software or simple spreadsheet for trends and patterns in stock assign a ‘purchasing manager’
• Look back at patterns of sales – weekly or seasonal variations, peak and low stock to anticipate and plan for future quantities
• Check if stock deliveries are frequent enough or too frequent to reduce over supply and minimise spoilage
• Order precisely based on ingredients already in stock to avoid having too much
• Avoid offcuts that could have been eaten, order fish and meat cuts to specification
• Develop relationships with suppliers and begin the conversation about avoiding food waste – you might be surprised at what you learn or what you can teach
• Save money by buying in bulk but be sure to check your storage facilities and stock use by dates
• Order fruit and vegetables in season to find cheaper, better tasting produce that will spend less time travelling to you and therefore last longer
• Link purchasing lists to menus to compare stock and sales
• Check the use-by / best before dates of delivered stock and return any that are past their dates

• Buy locally when possible – produce that spends less time travelling to you has less time to spoil, is fresher and will last longer when it reaches you
• Keep perishables fresh and safe during transport and check suppliers and your own distribution equipment (refrigeration, heating etc.) is not contributing avoidable food waste
• Ensure the way you handle stock does not cause damage – automation compared to manual handling may be a culprit (or vice versa)
• Send back damaged goods received from suppliers so they are aware that they are creating avoidable food waste

• Create a shelf/storage plan and revisit frequently to ensure it reflects your menu- documentation can save you time and money in the long run
• Group items in your storage area to correspond with purchasing list to minimise handling and the opportunity for damage
• Ensure delivered food is stored quickly and appropriately to minimise damage or spoiling, especially fresh produce
• Regularly check temperatures and seals on fridges and freezers –a quick check each month could save you not only on waste bills, but also on energy bills
• Ensure your storage area space is dry and clean
• Review your shelving practices: avoid damage from stacking fragile food items on top of each other, assign bottom shelves for liquids and food that might spill
• Ensure new stock is placed at the back of the fridge, freezer or storage area to avoid the chance for spoilage
• Be sure to use stock approaching its use by date first
• Store left-over food in airtight containers to preserve and stop odours getting into other products and spoiling them
• Vacuum-pack products (e.g. meat) to extend shelf life and/or reduce odour
• Consider a frozen stock list, date labels on food and correct sealing to avoid ‘freezer burn’
• Longer storage life can reduce spoilage that sometimes occurs with fresh produce

• Avoid excess trimming of ingredients – use as much as you can of the ingredient e.g. meat, fish, herbs
• Repurpose trimmings -edible meat trimmings can make pates, soups and stocks (slow cooking), vegetable trimmings bake into chips or roast seeds
• Invent opportunities for re-using excesses during preparation e.g. freeze excess berries for smoothies/coulis, breadcrumbs or croutons from excess bread
• Re-invent or re-cycle faulty batches: re-melt, re-form or re-shape
• Reduce bulk recipe sizes or create smaller batches more regularly

• Consider minimising samples that may be discarded at the end of the day, provide pictures of meals rather than displaying food or ingredients
• Use scales to measure ingredients and portions to ensure that the right amount is being unpacked and stored at the event
• Adequate refrigeration and/or bain maries at the event can ensure food stays edible for longer

• Provide bins for separation of avoidable food waste – follow standard food safety practices
• Check daily supply is meeting daily demand of the event – freeze surplus prepared ingredients or use the next day

• Cook small amounts of food more often – large batches of cooking can lead to unsold food and avoidable food waste
• Consider fluctuations between busy and slow periods and note the time of day these occur e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Store your waste cooking oil separate for collection and reuse

• Serve consistent portion sizes – use standard spoon and cup measurements for consistency
• Offer flexibility for customers to choose ingredients e.g. no salad or onions
• Consider how edible garnishes can generate avoidable food waste
• Observe food waste after it has left your stall, time permitting
• Use stories to inform your customers about your avoidable food waste efforts e.g. signage such as blackboards and posters about this FoodStallSavers initiative

• In the closing hours of the event, offer discounted meals or meals for free to avoid footing the bill for transportation and disposal
• Choose the right storage area and containers on-site at the event
• Provide feedback to event organisers after the event on avoidable food waste management and what they can do to help you in the future

• Plan for adequate transportation methods (refrigeration, heating etc.) both before and after the event
• Consider if transportation methods are causing damage to ingredients being returned to storage after event
• When handling and storing food waste, follow food safety standards and consider health and safety e.g. lifting and carrying heavy containers

• Give leftover food to family and staff
• Donate to a food charity* (e.g. Foodbank, OzHarvest and SecondBite) – discuss with your Event Organiser
• As a last resort:
  • compost avoidable food waste
  • generate energy through anaerobic digestion technologies (contact your local council for options)
  • donate end-use compost to gardening or community sustainability groups to grow more food for you

*Note – before you donate food to a charitable or not-for-profit organisation you or the Event Organiser should contact that organisation to find out what they can or cannot accept